London Underground
by An End Has A Start
Summary: Edward makes a very memorable trip on the London Underground. All Human. ExB.
1. Chapter 1: Pits of Hell

**Lyrical Melodrama Story Contest**

**Name of story: London Underground**

**Pen name: An End Has A Start**

**Song story is inspired by: London Underground**

**Artist: Dr Suman Biswas & Dr Adam Kay**

**Category: Bestsellers Writer**

**Main Pairing: Edward & Bella**

**POV: Edward**

**To read the rest of the entries, go to the Lyrical Melodrama Story Contest on the website/forum. If you want to see the rules for this contest, go to the website. If you have any questions about the contest, contact them either via PM or their email: competitons(at)thewriterscoffeeshop(dot)com or go to: thewriterscoffeeshop(dot)com**

_Just want to make this clear, I have nothing against the London Underground or its workers. If you do listen to the song there is very strong language so keep that in mind and a link can be found on my profile. Oh and I don't own Twilight etc. _

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**London Underground**

**Chapter One: Pits of Hell**

"Evening Edward!" a small, but rather loud, voice called through the drizzling rain. My eyes focused in on them and I walked over, leaning down to shelter under their umbrella.

"Evening Alice," I replied, leaning down further and hugging my sister.

She was grinning up at me, taking in my wet appearance while she was completely dry. Her small and short frame meant that she could tuck herself away and remain covered from the crappy weather while us tall folk were left out to face and battle the wind, rain, sleet or snow.

"Are you ready to go?" she asked, still smiling away.

"Ready as I'll ever be," I muttered, eyeing up where we would be descending to, the pits of hell. It wasn't actually _that _bad, we were just taking the tube.

Alice and I headed down and manoeuvred through everyone to get to the barriers. She had her Oyster card out, ready to swipe it, as I was taking mine out. Alice had no problem at all, swiped it once and the doors opened. I, on the other hand, did have problems. I swiped and nothing. I swiped again and nothing.

"Aghh I hate these bloody things," I grunted, trying the card again. Alice was frowning on the other side of the barrier, waiting for me, and looking as perplexed as I was.

After trying the card several more times it opened for me with a bit of a bang. I walked through quickly before it closed shut again, jumping slightly as it shut behind me. I was through though and sighed in relief. Now I could finally start my torturous journey.

We walked towards the escalators following the stream of people pouring down them. I stepped on and stood to the left, behind Alice, whilst having people hit my shoulder as the rushed past me on the right. _Why were people always in such a hurry on these things? _

We descended the stairs and turned to the left, going to the correct platform for our train. Feeling the air being sucked down the tunnel as the train gathered speed to the next station it was clear we had just missed one.

Alice and I took a seat to wait for the next train. According to the signboard we had four or so minutes to wait, not that that was going to be a problem.

"Will we make it on time to dinner?" Alice asked, reading the advertisement close to us.

"Yes, we should anyway. If not we'll only be a few minutes late. And if we are late they can't complain, after all it was Carlisle's idea that we take the tube."

"Yes, why did he suggest this trip? I thought we were going to take the car."

"He wants us to become more down to earth. Apparently we are too posh and it's giving him a bad reputation. He does not want to be a Toff, but sadly, he should realise that is exactly what he is, as are we," I answered, looking round.

"Sometimes I think he's losing his mind. But, let's make the best of a bad situation. I know how much you hate the tube."I nodded in agreement.

Alice was right, I hated the tube and hated it even more when I had to take it. Due to my animosity towards it I bought an apartment in walking distance of my office. I made sure that I would never have to take it if I didn't want to. I could get places either by car or bus or on some of the good weather days, by taking my bike.

Cycling wasn't my favourite activity, well not in the city, but I would endure it and the hatred from the drivers on the road if I it meant I wouldn't have to take the tube. There were always problems with it. Either lines were down, ticket prices were up, Oyster cards weren't working properly, the staff were on strike, or things just generally were rubbish. It wasn't my idea of fun.

Alice started hammering on about something I had no interest in knowing about so I tuned her out but began nodding at the correct moments while hunting out my Blackberry to catch up on any recent emails from work.

You could feel the air being sucked up the tunnel once more before you could hear the sound of the train approaching a few minutes, which brought both Alice and myself we our feet. I slipped my Blackberry into my coat pocket so I may resume looking at it once we were away and began walking towards a set of doors to get on when I felt Alice's tight grip on my sleeve.

"Nope, not that one. This carriage, trust me." She pulled me back from those doors and over to where three other passengers were standing. I quickly glanced at the two men and then back at my sister. She was too busy staring down at the ground to notice the look I was going to give her. If we were getting on this carriage just so she could stare at one of these guys I'd be pissed. Following her gaze I realised she was looking at the woman's shoes, and they were what held her interest, not the men.

"Please tell me that's not why you picked this carriage?" I whispered, leaning down to her height. Her light blush told me that it was, or at least it was one of the reasons.

"You'll thank me later," she muttered, crossing her arms over her chest. I chuckled and shook my head. Alice was convinced she could 'predict' the future and received signs telling her of certain events.

Occasionally she was correct with her predictions but other times she was completely and absurdly wrong. It was best to take her advice or premonitions with a pinch of salt. I usually gave her the benefit of the doubt but today she was more focused on fashion than she was of her power.

The announcement came out loud from the speakers all around us as a chime and "Mind the Gap" was repeated for the tenth time since we had been on the platform. I bloody hated that announcement.

The train doors opened and we let the people off, then slipped into the carriage, seeing that there was only one person already on here. Alice bounced forward and planted herself into a seat as I walked over casually and sat down next to her. She seemed quite pleased with herself for some reason.

The woman with the great shoes sat across the carriage from us, holding her bag to her chest and just glancing around. She had long blonde hair that cascaded over her shoulders, curling at the tips. Her face was very striking and she was certainly beautiful. Though, no doubt she heard that a lot.

When the doors closed and the train began moving I leant back into the seat and glanced at my watch. We were making okay time for our dinner with the parents. Carlisle and Esme wouldn't really mind if we were late, that much I was sure of.

Alice had been too silent which suggested something was wrong. I looked over and saw her eyeing up the shoes some more. I rolled my eyes at her and she lightly elbowed me.

"Don't roll your eyes at me, I saw you checking her out. That's much more predictable than what I'm doing," she whispered to me.

"Regardless, what's your obsession with the shoes?"

"Have you seen them?!"

"Yes Alice I have seen them and they're just shoes."

"Oh Edward, they're not _just _shoes. Those shoes are like the Holy Grail when it comes to footwear. I mean, look at them, they're gorgeous, and so clean! I wonder how she managed that, especially with how grubby the streets are. We should talk to daddy about that."

"Please never call him daddy again in public," I said, shushing Alice.

"Oh don't be like that. Anyway, I wonder how she got a pair. Hell if I'm still waiting she must be someone important. Do you recognise her?" I glanced at the blonde's face once more.

"No Alice, I do not recognise her."

"Look again, really look at her this time. She's beautiful." She didn't need to point out the obvious.

"I can see that she is now stop staring for God's sake."

"Hush, no so loud," she scolded me.

"Alice I swear to God I'll kill you right here in front of these four other people if you don't stop. Did you not take your pills today or something?"

"That was rude and hurtful Edward. Shame on you," she said, sounding hurt but at the same time defiant. I knew once we got to dinner she'd tattle on me and I'd receive a lecture about my behaviour.

We may both be in our late twenties but Alice still told on me and I still got in trouble from our parents. Not much seemed to have changed at all as we grew up.

Sighing I ran a hand through my hair, trying to avoid the reprimanding I would receive from our mother later on. She could be as sweet as sugar but sure as hell knew how to turn as cold as ice if you pissed her off. I did not want to be on her bad side tonight.

"Alright, yes it was rude me, I'm sorry," I said, hoping to appease Alice somewhat so she wouldn't say anything later.

"Forgiven, but only if you buy me a pair of those shoes," she replied, pointing down at them.

"Done," I replied, fishing out my Blackberry.

"Yay!" she squealed loudly, practically launching herself at me over the gap between our seats.

"Shame on you Alice for manipulation," I muttered, scrolling through the emails.

"You know what else we should talk to daddy about, the condition of these carriages. They're abysmal, well this one is better than some of the others, at least it's not crowded." I nodded in agreement, not exactly listening to her, but I was happy it wasn't crowded too. In fact there were a total of six of us in the carriage.

There was, of course, Blondie with the shoes, two men, and another woman who had stayed in the carriage when we got on. She was lazily reading a book, the cover was hidden though. I tried to lean down a bit to see what it was but couldn't move my head far enough to see it without looking like some pervert checking out his breasts.

The fact that I couldn't see what she was reading bugged me. I had this need to know. When it was covered it peaked my curiosity to the max. I felt tempted to ask her but what with her changing facial expressions I could tell she was at a particularly good bit and would probably hate to be disturbed.

Looking round the rest of the carriage I spotted the two men that got on with us. One was a tall, taller than me, guy with short blond locks. He had a small laptop out on his lap and was typing furiously away, frowning at the screen. Poor bloke looked like he was overwork with his rumpled appearance.

His charcoal grey suit was crumpled, the white shirt beneath it had a small stain and the red silk tie had a pull. The top buttons of his shirt were undone and the tie loosened. He really looked like he needed a break or at least some assistance. I kinda felt sorry for him, remembering those days, working my arse off for what felt like nothing.

The other guy in the carriage looked like a rugby player who could probably kill us with one hand. He wasn't giving off a threatening attitude though. In fact, he was casually leaning over two seats, filling in the Sudoku in the paper.

Returning to my phone I replied to a few emails, deleted some others and mentally prepared a list of things I would need to do tomorrow at the office. Alice was still yammering away about Carlisle and his strategies or something or other. I wasn't interested in the politics of my father.

"Do you mind me asking, where did you get your shoes?" Now I knew that wasn't directed at me.

Alice was smiling softly at Blondie, pointing down at her footwear. The woman looked at Alice and then at me before down to her feet and back up to Alice who was still smiling away. The other passengers looked over to see who had spoken and who they were speaking to.

The brunette who was reading saw the shoes Alice was obsessed with and frowned, returning to her book. Although I had the chance to ask her then about what book she was reading I decided not to. Blondie still hadn't answered Alice and it may have seemed like we were crazy folk harassing other passengers. No doubt they had heard our conversations earlier so already would be questioning our sanity.

"They were a gift from a friend," she answered finally, smiling back at Alice.

"Do you know where your friend got them?"

"No, sorry. Are they good?"

"Are they good?!" Alice repeated, shocked. I rolled my eyes and shook my head.

"You really shouldn't have said that," I said, trying to calm Alice from bouncing over and assaulting the woman out of pure excitement. Blondie smiled back and shrugged.

"So are they?"

Without further ado, Alice got up and sat right next to Blondie, explaining the 'goodness' of the shoes. They continued their fashion talk while the rest of us got on with what we were doing. I, for one, didn't mind the sound of their voices, it was better than listening to the hum of the train moving through the tunnels and the whipping of air from one of the windows that was broken at the top corner.

A voice came on over the intercom saying that we would be at the next station shortly but then things changed. The voice was cut off and gradually the speed of the train began to decrease until we came to a stop in the middle of one of the tunnels. All of us looked around, hoping to see some reason for our stop but there was nothing but pitch black walls outside the windows.

The conversation my sister and Blondie were having stopped and Alice was looking at me with a worried expression on her face. I mouthed that it would be okay before standing up. Glancing through the window into the other carriage I saw the passengers in their as confused as us.

Next over the intercom was a hazy voice, telling us absolutely nothing.

"The train has stopped due to safety issues at the station ahead. We do not know when the problem may be resolved. Thank you for your patience."

Oh well that was helpful, prick.

Now what? I certainly didn't plan on spending the remainder of my evening stuck on a tube train with four strangers. Hell, just being trapped in here with Alice was bad enough. God, we better get moving soon or I may lose my mind.

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A.N.

A new chapter will be posted each week for this 5 chapter story contest so chapter 2 should be up by next wednesday. Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2: Introductions Everyone

**London Underground**

**Chapter Two: Introductions Everyone**

_Edward's POV_

"_The train has stopped due to safety issues at the station ahead. We do not know when the problem may be resolved. Thank you for your patience." _

_Oh well that was helpful, prick._

_Now what? I certainly didn't plan on spending the remainder of my evening stuck on a tube train with four strangers. Hell, just being trapped in here with Alice was bad enough. God, we better get moving soon or I may lose my mind._

"Well that has us all in the know," the big guy across the carriage said, grinning and shaking his head. He shrugged once and then returned to filling in his crossword, clearly not bothered about what the problem could be.

"Ugh, no cell reception," Alice whined, pouting as she looked down at her phone.

At that the five remaining of us checked our own phones, each of us gutted to see there was in fact no cell phone reception. _Just pissing great._ With that twat's announcement not telling us anything we could be here for hours. And of course, with no reception we couldn't call our parents and let them know we were going to be late.

Shoving my useless blackberry into my pocket I looked around for something to do. If we were going to be here for a while I may as well make myself comfortable. The big guy seemed to have the same idea and stood up to stretch before taking off his suit jacket and lean it against the side, using it to cushion his head when he lay back down over the seats.

Alice and Blondie had returned to their conversation about fashion, filling the carriage with noise. Leaning back in the seat, I slumped down and put my legs out straight, crossing them at the ankles. I shut my eyes, suddenly feeling exhausted and tried to settled down a bit. I just wanted to rest my eyes for a few moments, relax for a sec before I was needed for something else.

Before I knew it I could hear Alice's voice waking me up. She was sitting next to me again, nudging my shoulder gently. I sat up quickly and rubbed my eyes, taking a moment to remember where the hell I was again. The other four people in the carriage were all watching me wake, as though it was the most fascinating thing in the world.

"How long did I sleep?" I asked, feeling too warm.

"Only about forty minutes," Alice replied. "I woke you so you would sleep later tonight. Hope that's okay."

"No, you did good, thanks."

I stood up and stretched, hearing all my joints protest at such movements. As it was so hot I shrugged out my jacket and loosened my tie, undoing the top two buttons of my shirt beneath it. My shirt felt damp from the sweat which was completely unappealing. I was just thankful it was white and you couldn't see how damp it was compared to what it would be like if I had chosen to wear the light blue one today.

Looking around at the other passengers I realised all of them had also taken off their coats or rolled up their sleeves. We did look like an overheated bunch to be honest. While I was on my feet I walked over to the windows and opened them, hoping for just a bit of cold, refreshing air to cool us down.

Once that was done I returned to my seat. Alice had some sort of magazine, which I guessed she got from Blondie, and was reading that so she wasn't going to be any help in keeping me amused. Looking across to the brunette who was quietly reading I saw she still had the front cover hidden from sight. Well, it wasn't exactly hidden, you just couldn't see it from her jacket now being on her lap and the cover against that.

She didn't seem to be lost within the pages anymore so I decided I would just ask what the book was. After all, it wasn't like I was asking for her phone number or anything, this definitely should be easy. For some silly reason I was nervous as hell and felt like I was thirteen all over again, asking a girl out for the first time.

Clearing my throat I caught her attention.

"What are you reading?" I asked, smiling lightly as her and trying not to come across as threatening. If she was to freak on me it would be a pissing disaster. And what with the mental munchkin next to me I wouldn't be surprised if she questioned my sanity too.

"Lolita," she replied, answering politely. _Interesting choice._

"By Vladimir Nabokov?" I knew that was the author but wanted to keep talking with her.

"Yeah, have you read it?" she asked, looking intrigued.

"Yeah a while ago. I'm Edward by the way," I said, introducing myself and holding my hand out for her to shake. She leant across and did so, her small hand in mine, smiling softly.

"I'm Bella, nice to meet you."

"Likewise. So, what do you think so far?" I nodded down at the book, hoping she'd be happy enough to tell me her theories.

"Well I've read it before but I think it's a great book, despite its taboo topic."

"What do you like about it?" I asked, wanting to prolong the conversation a bit further. "A lot of people seem to hate it, thinking its pure pornography and smut."

"Yeah but then they haven't really read it, have they?" Bella asked, shrugging. "I like the style of writing. For English being Nabokov's second language he's really mastered it well, much better than some native writers."

"I agree wholeheartedly. But what about the plot? Do you have any qualms reading about a middle-aged college professor preying on a preteen girl?"

"Of course I do, it's not an easy topic. However, it's never too detailed and those scenes are hidden within the text. You could read it a hundred times and miss the initial scene of Humbert feeling up Dolores on the couch."

"Eh sorry to interrupt but what the hell kinda book are you reading?" the big guy asked, frowning.

Bella blushed and looked down into her lap, possibly embarrassed. I wasn't that bothered so explained to the guy about the plot in the hope he didn't think we were too random nutcases enjoying a book about a paedophile. God that sounds awful.

"Alright that doesn't sound so creepy," he finally conceded. "Carry on." He smiled at us both then went back to his newspaper.

Rather than going back to discussing Lolita Bella and I moved on to talk about other authors and what we each regarded as classics. My inner bookworm was revelling in the conversation. She was commenting on everything I could say, every book I had read, whether I hated it or not, she had an opinion. It was fantastic.

Our conversation was only cut short when the guy came over the intercom again. He only told us that we would be there for another two hours at max and that he appreciates out patience. It was really pissing me off. That lulled the whole carriage into silence unfortunately. It didn't last for long though.

"Five down, an abnormal lateral curvature of the spine, nine letters. Anyone know what that is? I'm no doctor so don't have a clue. No cheating though if you don't know it," the big guy said, looking pointedly at us all.

"Asking other passengers isn't cheating?" I asked, smirking.

"Hey, if it's all from the brain it's fine. Doesn't matter whose brain. So, anyone know the answer?"

"Scoliosis," Blondie answered, not bothering to look up from whatever brochure she was looking at.

"You sure?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"One hundred percent."

"Cheers," he replied, smiling broadly, showing dimples and all. Blondie just nodded like it was nothing and returned to her pamphlet. "Just to let you all know, I'm Emmett and yeah, I'm going to be needing your help to fill out the rest of this bloody thing."

A few of us chuckled and encouraged him on, asking for the next one. Gradually we began making our way through them, the only person not to speak up until that point being the blonde guy in the corner working away like there was no tomorrow. It wasn't until there was a question on America that none of us could answer that he stepped in. It was obvious after he spoke how he knew the answer. His accent was one of a very think southern accent. I struggled a moment to get what he said, as did the others, but he said it again slower and we caught on.

"So you're American?" Alice asked excitedly.

"What gave it away?" he asked, smirking.

Alice blushed and shook her head, confusing the hell out of me. Alice does not blush, ever. I shot at glare at the Yankee who was attempting to flirt with my sister. He saw my look and backed up a bit, raising his hand and pointing between us.

"Are you two together?"

"Oh good heavens no!" Alice said, her hands to her chest as though the very thought was painful. "He's my brother," she explained, smiling again at him. He returned said smile and nodded rather happily.

"Well that's good news for me. I'm Jasper and it is a pleasure to meet you," he said, holding his hand out towards her. She got up giddily and sat down next to him, shaking his hand.

"I'm Alice and nice to meet you too." God from her smile alone I could tell she was in over her head already.

"So do the rest of you mind me asking all your names as well, seeing as we'll be here a while?" Emmett, Bella and myself introduced ourselves and then it went to Blondie who had so far not given her name.

"Rosalie," she answered, looking a bit reserved but smiling anyway.

"And do you all mind if I ask what you all do for a living?"

"I'm an interior designer," Alice gushed to him. He soaked that up for a few minutes before turning on the rest of us.

"I work in real estate," Emmett answered, shrugging.

Bella was next, explaining that she was a still a student in university but did part-time waitressing on the sides. Rosalie said she was a med student that did dancing on the side, to which Emmett practically demanded to know what type. Ballet, not pole dancing as he seemed to be hoping for. Hell, I think he was after some light entertainment. After all, there were poles in the carriage.

"So what do you do Jasper?" Alice asked after I had answered.

"I work for an oil company," he replied shrugging. "In town on business at the moment."

"How long you been here?"

"A week. I leave on Monday." Upon hearing that Alice frowned sadly, looking down at her lap.

"Oh, well that's a shame," she muttered, her exuberance completely deflated. "I was thinking you maybe needed a tour guide but what with you leaving so soon there really isn't any point."

"Nonsense, I would love a tour guide," Jasper said, clearly trying to cheer her up, and it worked.

"Great, so tell me, what have you seen so far?"

The two of them went off into a lengthy discussion about all the tourist sites Jasper had visited, missed and then onto the places the tourists don't get to know about. I tuned it out, not needing to be reminded of all the culture on my doorstep that I took for granted.

Yawning I lay back down on the seats and began to get comfortable, hoping for another small nap to pass the time. Seeing as nothing exciting was going on it seemed like the best option I had. Plus, I was losing my patience with the whole bloody thing. I wanted off the damn train soon, if not immediately.

"Excuse me Jasper, Edward don't even think about going back to sleep," Alice said, using her reprimanded tone.

"Ugh, why ever not?"

"Because you're being a spoil sport. Sit up and engage in some conversation."

"Please Alice, let's not do this here." I didn't particularly want to have a sibling spat on the tube in front of four people we barely knew. "I'm tired and I'm bored, let me pass the time the way I wish to."

"No, and because you were bored we're going to find something fun to do." I internally groaned at that, praying to God that she was just thinking about making me read one of those fashion magazines she had. But no, it was much worse. "You know what we should all do? Play a game!"

Oh Alice, and I thought I wouldn't have to kill you.


	3. Author's Note

Yep, this isn't a chapter but I hope you'll read it anyway.

I will no longer be participating in the Lyrical Melodrama Story Contest but I do intend to finish this five chapter story. I need to take a break from everything. I don't know when I'll come back to this, and I am sorry about it, but right now I need to get my health back in order. Basically, as I feel you should probably know the reason behind this, I have a chronic illness (nothing life threatening) and it's getting very hard to life my day to day life without problems. I would really appreciate your patience and understanding in this matter, and I hope that when I do come back the next chapter will be worth the wait.

Thank you,

Michelle


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